This invention relates generally to customized and personalized presentation of products and services, and more particularly to an automated system and method for presenting customized and personalized product and service messages to customers of a financial institution, such as a bank.
In the early days of telephony, it was determined that a single operator was needed for every ten adult citizens. This problem was solved by the introduction of electronic switching systems, which provided automated, self-service enabling universal access and ubiquitous service. Self-service telephone access, for example, to a financial institution, such as a bank, was a great convenience at the time. However, financial institutions, such as banks, typically want to learn more about their individual customers"" financial needs and operational styles, in order to be able to personalize and customize individual consultative sessions and to provide the best possible transactional sessions to customers. They also want to be able to provide xe2x80x9cmass customizationxe2x80x9d of individualized consultative sessions to deepen customer relationships. These goals are not possible with currently available self-service systems.
Current systems are intended to capture electronic presentation to customers of certain products and services and to push or encourage customers to purchase a certain product that matches a customer""s perceived need. Some of these tailoring products include direct use of such interfaces as the Internet or call center agents. However, currently available tailoring products are typically designed for groups of customers and make no distinction between individual customers. In other words, such systems rely on a one-size-fits-all approach, in which one or two or three sizes must fit all customers.
In the financial services sector, as a financial institution, such as a bank, expands its customer base, and as people become more and more involved in determining their own financial destinies by taking charge of their own financial matters, the complexity and spectrum of financial options cannot be handled on a simple one-size-fits-all basis. Instead, banks and other financial institutions need a system that presents not only the means to offer the customer an umbrella of services and products, but also to serve the individual needs of a customer significantly better than any operator can. Such a system, when applied, for example, to a bank""s customer interactive systems, would remove the need for agent intervention, except for the technically resistant customer, and would offer a significant competitive advantage within the service center technology arena and in the application of Internet technology.
It is a feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated method and system for presenting customized and personalized product and service messages that allows a financial institution, such as a bank, to retain customers and attract new customers, while maintaining the lowest possible cost of agent support staff.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization product and service message presentation system and method that revolves around intelligent engines that self learn, and couple extracted customer""s business needs and operational style with the bank""s broadest set of products and services.
It is a further feature and advantage of the Present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization product and service message presentation system and method that is dynamic and constantly adapts to new products and services, as well as to the ever-changing needs of customers.
It is an additional feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization product and service message presentation system and method which enables a financial institution, such as a bank, to vastly expand its customer base in a cost-effective manner.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization product and service message presentation system which differentiates the services of a financial institution, such as a bank, by enabling the bank to provide xe2x80x9cmass customizationxe2x80x9d of individualized consultative sessions to deepen customer relationships.
It is an additional feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization product and service message presentation system which provides the best possible transactional sessions to customers that consistently satisfy and exceed customer intents.
It is a further feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization system and method for presentation of product and service messages which eliminates distance barriers by providing global access at a very attractive cost.
It is a still further feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization system and method for presentation of product and service messages which adapts itself to any customer, at any location, for example, by being able to recognize the customer as an individual, rather than as a member of a class, and tailors its offerings to satisfy specific customer needs, regardless of worldwide location.
It is an additional feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization system and method for presentation of product and service messages which supports any major interface access, such as Internet, voice calls, call centers, automated teller machines (ATM), e-mail, and associated distribution technologies such as cable, wireless, pagers, and the like.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization system and method for presentation of product and service messages which easily disseminates information regarding new products and/or services to the most interested customers and those who would likely subscribe to such products and/or services.
It is an additional feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization system and method for presentation of product and service messages which easily updates products and/or services offerings, as they become available.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization system and method for presenting product and service messages which scales architecturally in a cost-effective manner, such as by architecture that lends itself to natural, modular growth as the usage of the system increases, and that is scaleable to allow growth without incurring undue cost for re-architecting and re-deploying the system.
It is a further feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization system and method for presenting product and service messages which offers a high degree of reliability in that, for example, system hardware not only scales to allow growth, but also guarantees a high degree of reliability as a part of the hardware, as well as the operating systems running the systems that collectively provide the functionality of the system, and the overall networking plan that provides a similar degree of reliability in data transmission. The token is a routable entity that allows applications and systems for an embodiment of the present invention to make decisions on various aspects, such as agent skills, methods of interaction (automated or assisted service) with a customer, and the like, and it triggers decisions by the systems. The token interfaces the various applications and systems and influences decisions, but primarily functions as a routable entity between applications and ultimately routes the customer. The token manages sessions with a customer and makes decisions on issues, such as what is involved, when it goes, and the like.
It is a still further feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an automated customization and personalization system and method for presenting product and service messages which offers a high degree of availability and stability and is available to customers, for example, on a 24 hours by 7 days by 360 days commitment basis, with system administrative functions that support such an availability commitment without any single point of failure in the system.
To achieve the stated and other features, advantages and objects of the invention, an embodiment of the present invention makes use of computer hardware and software to generate and present custom tailored advice that is tailored and adjusted based, for example, on the customer""s behavior, the customer""s financial aptitude, the customer""s financial assets, and a combination of these factors. The advice includes, for example, advice that is generated interactively as the financial institution communicates with the customer in real time and based on specific subject matter about which the customer is communicating with the financial institution, and proactive advice generated by the financial institution and presented to the customer without prompting from the customer.
An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention includes use of information referred to as token data, which is a capture or building of a database regarding the customer""s financial essence, such as a determination of the customer""s assets and how the customer interacts with product and service offerings of the financial institution. The system for an embodiment of the present invention enables the financial institution to formulate an impression or analysis of the customer""s token, using computer encapsulation of the perception that the system forms of the customer. In this sense, the system for an embodiment of the present invention forms an opinion or impression of the customer and modifies the opinion over time as it interacts with the customer.
Key components for an embodiment of the present invention include, for example, an advice engine, a presentation engine, and a context assessment engine. The advice engine considers numerous sets of system logic, including for example, legal constraints and statistical facts that affect the customer. The presentation engine varies the presentation of the system depending, for example, on the mode by which the customer accesses the system, and presents the system to the customer in an individualized manner, regardless of the customer""s mode of access. The context engine examines the context of the interaction with the customer and determines how effective the system""s advice is.
The advice engine for an embodiment of the present invention, for example, analyzes information relating to the customer to identify one or more customer characteristics indicative of a type of advice preferable to the customer and automatically generates one or more items of advice of the type indicated to be preferable to the customer. The presentation engine, for example, analyzes information relating to the customer to identify one or more customer characteristics indicative of a preference of the customer for a manner in which to present advice to the customer and automatically presents the advice generated by the advice engine in the manner indicated to be preferable to the customer. The context assessment engine, for example, automatically assesses the effectiveness of the advice generated for the customer by the advice engine and presented to the customer by the presentation engine.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the presentation engine receives the customer""s input, including the customer""s ID, and automatically parses, characterizes and sends the input to the advice engine, which verifies the customer. The advice engine automatically retrieves and reads, for example, token data for the customer, as well as the financial institution""s data. The advice engine automatically generates one or both of responsive type advice or proactive type advice for the customer.
In connection with responsive type advice for the customer, the advice engine for an embodiment of the present invention retrieves and reads, for example, one or more categories of financial institution data, such as presentation data, marketing and business rules data, and customer profile data. In connection with proactive type advice for the customer, the advice engine retrieves and reads, for example, one or more categories of financial institution data, such as customer pertinent news data, customer asset investment data, customer interaction frequency data, customer purchasing history data, customer risk factor appraisal data, and customer risk assessment data. Also in connection with proactive advice for the customer, the advice engine automatically filters one or more categories of data for the customer, such as news of the day, special events tied to the current date, and sales information of interest to the customer.
The advice engine for an embodiment of the present invention automatically prepares one or both of responsive and proactive type advice for the customer, packages the advice in a preferred format for the customer, and sends the advice to the presentation engine. The advice engine also, for example, automatically posts the advice to a token database of the financial institution and sends an update related to the advice to a customer profile of the financial institution and to the context assessment engine.
The presentation engine for an embodiment of the present invention, for example, deciphers the customer""s touchpoint channel and molds a customer token according to one or more customer characteristics for the touchpoint channel. The presentation engine also, for example, recognizes the customer""s location. Further, the presentation engine, for example, automatically reads one or more fulfillment processes statuses into the customer token and reads one or ore intents of the financial institution into the customer token. In identifying one or more customer characteristics indicative of a manner of presentment preferable to the customer, the presentation reads one or more categories of financial institution data, such as customer continuity data, customer financial profile data, customer behavior data, and customer token data. In an embodiment of the present invention, the presentation engine also, for example, processes at least one immediate intent of the customer. Based on the analysis by the presentation engine of the customer""s characteristics, the presentation engine automatically identifies a presentation format for the customer.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the presentation engine receives the advice generated by the advice engine and automatically packages and presents the advice to the customer in the presentation format identified for the customer by the presentation engine as preferable to the customer, for example, from the token data for the customer. In packaging the advice, the presentation engine, for example, modifies one or more aspects of the manner of presentation as indicated by the token data, such as the presentation screen, the presentation voice, the presentation colors, and the presentation music. Further, the presentation engine presents the advice to the customer through a medium according to the token process of the financial institution, such as phone/interactive voice response, personal computer/browser, network/Internet, kiosk/intranet, recruitment center/self service, automated teller machine/self service, personal digital assistant/digital, and an agent at a desktop/browser.
After the advice is presented to the customer, the context assessment engine automatically receives an input, for example, from the advice engine and automatically evaluates the effectiveness of the advice, for example, in regard to one or more of the message, the touchpoint channel, and the subject of the advice. In evaluating the advice, the context assessment engine, for example, compares the input from the advice engine with the customer token and automatically updates the token structure with the result of the assessment.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention.